


Ad Multos Annos

by Chash



Series: Neeeeeeeeeerds [9]
Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-24
Updated: 2015-05-24
Packaged: 2018-03-31 22:59:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3996334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chash/pseuds/Chash
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five birthday presents Bellamy has received.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ad Multos Annos

**one.**

Bellamy Blake gets _D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths_ for his third birthday. His mother reads it to him until he can read it himself, and he reads it to Octavia until the spine breaks, and even then, they tape it back together and keep it, the family treasure.

When he's twelve, he takes it to the hospital and reads it to his mother. It's all he can do, and it's not enough.

 

**two.**

"It's your birthday, right?"

Bellamy glances at Clarke. She's tapping her pen against her chin, not making eye contact.

"Yeah."

"The big one-eight?"

"Are you getting to a point, Princess?"

She throws a paper airplane at him and hits him in the side of the face. "Happy birthday."

"Thanks. Nearly getting my eye poked out is the best present."

She rolls her eyes. "Open it, smartass."

He unfolds the paper and finds a drawing of himself, dressed in a toga, with a laurel wreath in his hair and a book labeled _MYTHS!_ in one arm. He's seen a lot of her artwork before, knows how talented she is, but it's weird to see _himself_ drawn in her clear, precise strokes. He looks up at her, confused.

"I was bored in art class," she says. "Don't get used to it." Her friends Wells sticks his head in the door, waving, and she says, "Yeah, sorry, coming," and taps her forehead in a mock-salute as she gets up. "Later."

He's still staring at the drawing, completely confused. In the bottom right corner, she's written, _Try not to be as much of a pain in the ass this year! You're an adult now, Blake._

He flattens it out carefully and pins it to his bedroom wall when he gets home.

 

**three.**

"Raven said we couldn't get you condoms."

"Yeah, that might be weird," says Bellamy, wary. He doesn't really know Wick that well. Wick's dating Raven, and Raven is friends with Clarke, so they end up occasionally having social interactions outside of JCL. He's an okay guy: that's the extent of their relationship. "But thanks for thinking of me. Means a lot."

"Whoa, slow down. We still got you something. We're giving you a date with Clarke."

Bellamy raises his eyebrows. "A what?"

"You like her, right?"

Bellamy doesn't do this kind of thing. The closest he and Miller have ever come to talking about dating was Miller coming out to him. That's also as close as he's come with Clarke, now that he thinks about it. Is there something about him that says _I will support you regardless of your sexuality_? It's accurate, but he didn't know he had that vibe going.

"I'm not having this conversation," he tells Wick.

"So, you have no interest in going to the movies with Clarke tonight? On me? Just the two of you? Because Raven and I aren't going, so if you don't, she's going to be all alone and sad. And cold. It's _cold_ , Bellamy."

"This is really weird," Bellamy says. "You finally hook up with Raven, so now you're meddling in everyone else's lives?"

"Just yours. You should feel special."

"Incredibly." 

Wick sits down next to him, looking serious for one of the few times he can remember. "I'd been trying to get Raven to go to a stupid dance with me for years, and she wouldn't until Clarke was going because you were going. So I owe you."

"That was the turning point of your relationship?"

"We slow-danced for _an entire song_ ," says Wick. "She didn't even tell me I sucked at dancing or step on my feet. Honestly, I thought she was sick. I was kind of worried."

Bellamy looks at him askance. He really doesn't know what to do with Wick's life. "I'm glad I could make that happen for you."

"So yeah. You and Clarke, movies, tonight. You'll have fun." He claps Bellamy on the shoulder. "Seven. Happy birthday."

He finds Clarke waiting outside the movie theater in a fuzzy hat and scarf, with snowflakes caught in the curls of her hair. His breath catches at the sight of her, and he thinks _maybe_ he has to be friends with Raven and Wick for this. He might owe them.

She beams when she spots him. "Hey! Raven and Wick canceled, I assume to have sex. I reminded them it's your birthday, but apparently that wasn't enough of a guilt-trip. Sorry."

"It's cool," he says. "Wick already emailed me the tickets, so that's half the thought, right?"

Clarke snorts. "Right." She smiles up at him. "Happy birthday."

"Thanks. What did you get me?"

"I'm paying for dinner, obviously," she says. 

"Very progressive of you."

"I try." She offers her arm and he takes it, amused. "Shall we?"

He shakes his head. "Lead the way, Princess."

Afterward, he texts Wick, _that was a pretty good birthday present. thanks_.

Wick texts back a bunch of emojis that Bellamy doesn't have and has no intention of buying, but he assumes it means they're friends now.

 

**four.**

"Catch," says Clarke.

Bellamy turns just in time to catch the gift she throws at him.

"So, I take it my birthday present isn't fragile," he says dryly, turning the box over in his hands. It's a book. It's pretty much _always_ a book. Clarke is great at giving exactly one kind of gift. Luckily, it's his favorite kind. "Or you're really bad at thinking through your fake-casual gestures."

"Fake-casual?" Clarke asks, raising her eyebrows.

He grins. "You've been doing this for years. Every time you're nervous about something, you act like you don't give a shit. It's so obvious." He considers and says, "You threw my present at me on my eighteenth birthday too. When you gave me that drawing. Eight years, and you haven't learned a thing."

She knocks her shoulder against his. "Open your present, Bellamy."

"Oh hey, it's a book," he teases, pulling the wrapping paper off. It's Bulfinch, the same edition he already has, and he frowns, because that's not really like her. She's watching him intently, and he opens it up to check the front. It's not like she could have gotten it signed for him, so that's not it, but--

She's cut a hollow space in the middle, just large enough for a square of foam with two rings stuck in it solidly. He wonders if she tested if she could throw it without dislodging them, or if she just got lucky, mostly because he can't quite comprehend what the rings actually mean. He stares at them for a long minute before reaching out and touching one with his finger. The larger one is solid and dark silver, the smaller thin and gold. Neither has any stones or ornamentation.

"Yours is iron," she says, when he doesn't say anything. "I know guys don't usually wear engagement rings, but it felt kind of weird to give you a ring for myself for your birthday. That's not really much of a present. And apparently Romans wore iron rings, so, you know." She tucks her hair back behind her ear with one hand. "You want to marry me?"

"You're not even getting down on one knee?" he asks, without any actual input from his brain. _She wants to marry you_ is all he can think, on repeat. He knew she did, but--she's _proposing_. "You threw the engagement ring at my face."

"Is that a yes?" She sounds amused.

He picks up the iron ring, about to slide it on, but she wraps her fingers around his wrist to stop him and does it herself.

"I got you a nicer ring," he says, looking down at their joined hands. "It's got a diamond and everything. I was going to propose on Valentine's Day, like a total cliche. Miller made fun of me."

She laughs. "Yeah, that would have been a total cliche. You should have thrown something at me. That's _original_."

He slides the gold band onto her finger, as a placeholder. He wants her to have something there too, something tangible.

"Very original," he agrees, and kisses her.

He doesn't manage to give her the ring he bought for another few hours, but it's worth the wait.

 

**five.**

Bellamy makes no plans for his thirtieth birthday, even though it's supposed to be a big deal, because Clarke is ten months pregnant and on the verge of giving birth. Apparently they are absolutely awful at planning appropriate times to have a baby.

"You guys are going to have awkward father-kid birthday parties," Raven says, triumphant. "You're going to be _that dad_. None of its friends are going to want to come because you'll be like, it's my birthday too, it's a party for _both of us_ , and they won't know what to get you."

"He's easy to shop for," Clarke says. She's kind of huge, which makes him nervous, like the baby will just pop out at any minute once she reaches her full capacity. "Books. They'll be fine."

He doesn't actually realize she's giving birth _on his birthday_ , just like Raven predicted, until it's over and done with. Clarke wakes up in the middle of the night and it's a blur of getting to the hospital and helping her with her breathing, and then, all at once, they have a baby, and she's perfect.

Octavia comes in after, when Clarke is asleep in the hospital bed and Diana is asleep in his arms, and says, "I know the baby stole your thunder, but it _is_ your birthday. Here, let me hold her, you open that."

Bellamy frowns, because presents are cool, but his daughter is way cooler. Still, Octavia will probably give her back. Clarke will fight her if she doesn't.

"It's a book," he teases, as Octavia coos over her new niece. She's tiny and mostly doesn't do much, and nothing else in his life has ever been as amazing as she is. 

"You like books."

It's _D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths_ , and he might be getting choked up, but it's been a very emotional day. He's allowed.

"So you can read it to her," Octavia says and he swallows hard.

"Thanks, O."

She smiles. "Happy birthday, Bell."

"Yeah," he says, with a smile. "Probably the best yet." He takes Diana back, carefully, and settles her into his arms. 

Then he opens up the book and begins to read to her.

**Author's Note:**

> This was actually the first timestamp I ever started working on for this verse, but it kept kind of getting shuffled back on my list of priorities. But Eskimo0305 asked who proposed to whom and I was like, hey, I know that one!
> 
> Also there's some Clarke POV on this [here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4039033/chapters/9108604)!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Podfic - Ad Multos Annos](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10379172) by [bienenalster (pinkspider)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinkspider/pseuds/bienenalster)




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